Blog

A Sixth Sense for Writers

A Sixth Sense for Writers

No, I’m not talking about intuition… obviously we didn’t have the common sense to take up a less frustrating hobby/career, so clearly our prescience can’t be trusted!

I’m sure you’ve been advised to incorporate the five senses into your book scenes: how the flavors, aromas, textures, sights and sounds affect your characters. But this necessary sixth sense is something you need to remember to include in YOUR LIFE.

… a sense of humor.

No matter what genre we’re writing in, stuff will crop up that challenges us mentally, physically or emotionally. Maybe all three. In those moments of WTF, here’s a little advice:

I’m not advising anything illegal! There’s never a good time to go postal (especially not with the lines in Shrewsbury, PA’s post office). But remember that all these frustrations are fodder for future book and journaling content.

If you’ve been battling some writing or life demons, maybe it’s time to look for the lighter side. Turn that evil life-sucking vampire into a character in your book! I can’t tell you the number of times people write to me asking a question that’s answered in the email they just replied to. Literacy happens, folks. And just about the time this post goes out… I have the funny feeling I’m going to be the one committing this heinous crime of illiteracy… so be prepared to humor me!

Time to write with all six senses this week!
Cheers, Demi

Special thanks to 92-year-old author John Ellsworth Winter for this week’s blog inspiration, drawn from his newly released “Gorgeous Tragedy” about the last seven months of Robert Edward Lee’s life.

“…a sense of humor is a human sense indeed, needed as much as one or all of the five physical senses.”